High schoolers are taking classes and performing clinical work to help them become certified nursing assistants. > Back To Resources

By Jill Hoffman

jill.hoffman@roanoke.com

BLACKSBURG - An army of bright blue nursing uniforms spread out over Warm Hearth Village's Kroontje Health Care Center.

The troop of Christiansburg High Schoolers were in a class called Health Assistant I, to help them become certified nursing assistants.

Students floated from room to room, looking for sheets to change and residents to help bathe.

They worked in pairs, steadying frail men and women as they walked, and announcing themselves in loud, cheery voices.

Wearing plastic gloves, Terrell Burkes, a junior and the only male in the nursing class, placed a used bed comforter into a cart with large plastic bags.

"Help him lift from the bottom," teacher Dianne Lacy told student Tara McDaniel. "Then cover it up. These are all infection controls."

Many of the students plan to take Virginia's national certification examination to become CNAs. They were at Warm Hearth for the clinical portion of their class, which requires at least 40 hours of experience.

Christiansburg High School began its CNA program in 1974. Other New River Valley programs started as early as 1969, and some even offer licensed practical nursing training.

Thirty years later, these nursing classes are as important as ever, with nursing shortages abounding and a poor job market greeting high school graduates. The classes introduce students to nursing and encourage many to enter the field full- or part-time.

Shirley Akers, a clinical coordinator at Kroontje, sees the students' clinical work as a recruitment opportunity. She has four former students on staff and others who have applied for positions.

Blacksburg and Radford high schoolers also do their clinical work at Warm Hearth. About 20 to 25 high school students come through the facility each year. They need supervision to perform many tasks, such as

bathing residents and feeding them, but they are allowed to make beds and give manicures.

The young people also spread some sunshine.

"It brightens their day," restorative aide Elizabeth Spicer said about residents. "They like new faces."

Paula Saxby, deputy executive director for education for the State Board of Nursing, said high school nursing programs provide a service to the community - especially when students pass national certification tests.

In May 2003, the Board of Nursing began collecting information on enrollment in high school nursing programs, with hopes that schools are trying to expand their programs.

But results show that many schools lack money to hire more qualified employees or expand into larger and more modern facilities. Recruiting faculty members is also challenging, with competition from hospitals. One school program cited in the research pays its clinical employees $18 per hour, compared with the $50 per hour offered by the local hospital.

Christiansburg High's nursing component includes Introduction to Health Occupations and Health Assistant I and II. Students learn everything from basic nursing skills and infection control to advanced anatomy and physiology.

State regulations prevent students from handling invasive procedures, and Lacy may have no more than 10 students doing clinical work at a time. She limits enrollment to 12 students per semester.

"I want them to learn compassion and care and for them to be safe in administering that care," said Lacy, a registered nurse. "These are the most vulnerable members of our society."

Clinical work is not always easy. Students must deal with bodily functions and wastes. Lacy gives them strategies, such as breathing through their mouths when there are unpleasant smells.

"If there's a death in the facility, I have them look at the body in a very respectful way," she said.

About 80 percent of Lacy's students who have taken the CNA certification exam have passed during her two years at the school. One student hopes to use her degree at medical school. Twelve others are heading to nursing school. Some will use their skills for supplemental income. CNA employees at Warm Hearth make between $8 and $10 an hour.

At Kroontje, Leticia Potter and Ashley Sartin gently guided a woman back to her room after helping to wash her hair. They asked questions like "You want to take a nap?" and "Want covered up?"

Across the hall, they found a woman struggling in the bathroom. The girls put on gloves and helped her before walking her back to her room. They headed back into the hallway to look for other patients in need.

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